MPI – THCC wanted to bring you some holiday wonderful creations:

Drinks

BEAU RIVAGE CHOCOLATINI

1 ½ oz. Skoli Vanilla vodka

1 oz. Baileys

½ oz. Godiva white

½ oz. Godiva dark

1 oz. half & half

Shake, shake, shake with ice and strain into glass that has Hershey’s syrup swirled in glass

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Egg Nog

1 Doz eggs

1 15 oz Old Overholt Rye Whiskey

1 pint half n half cream

1 pint whipping cream

sugar

nutmeg

1)Separate the egg whites from yolks of all 12 eggs – put in separate bowls.

2)To the yolk – add 12 TBLSP sugar and beat well

3)Add the whole 15 oz of whiskey to the yolk mixture, mix well, store 8 hours in the refrigerator.

4)When you are ready to serve, beat the egg whites until firm and stiff peaks form.

5)Add 2 tsp sugar into the egg white mixture after it is stiff

6)To the yolk mixture, add 1 pint half and half. (you should do this in a big punch bowl)

7)In another bowl, whip the 1 pint whipping cream

8)To the yolk mixture, add the whipping cream

9)Fold the egg whites into the yolk/cream mixture

10)Chill until ready to serve

11)Serve with nutmeg sprinkled on top.

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Christmas Sangria

1 cup sugar

2 bottles of dry white wine

2 cups Spanish brandy

6 cups gingerale

3 whole cinnamon sticks

24 cloves

2 red delicious apples, cut into cubes

1 orange, cut into slices

dissolve the sugar in water in a large pitcher. Add the wine, brandy, gingerale, spices and fruit. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Add ice cubes and fruit. Serves 6 to 8.

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Food

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Cranberry Salsa

Serves 8 – 10 guests as appetizer

1 ½ cups fresh cranberries

2 green onions

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Tblsp minced fresh cilantro

1 Tblsp grated fresh ginger

1 Tblsp lemon juice

Cream cheese and crackers

Using a food processor (small works well) finely chop cranberries, green onions and jalapeno. (I use the food processor to mince the cilantro and ginger as well.) Put all in a bowl and add the sugar and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours before serving. The festive red and green color of this salsa is great for the holidays.

To serve, spread cream cheese on a cracker (Ritz works fine, but Melba are stronger) and top with the salsa mixture.

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Dăna’s Famous (Low-Fat!!) Chocolate Cream Pie

Don’t let the words low-fat scare you – you will not miss the fat in this. Believe me – I have had some of the toughest critics approve!

IngredientsCrust:
40low-fat or regular chocolate graham crackers (10 full cracker sheets)
2tablespoonslow-fat butter or stick margarine, melted
1large egg white
Cooking spray
Filling:
2cupsfat-free milk, divided
2/3cupsugar (or Splenda for baking)
1/3cupunsweetened cocoa
3tablespoonscornstarch
1/8teaspoonsalt
1large egg
2ouncessemisweet chocolate, chopped
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1 1/2cupsfrozen Cool Whip Free whipped topping, thawed
3/4teaspoongrated semisweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until smooth. Add butter, and egg white; pulse 6 times or just until moist. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. To prepare filling, combine 1/2 cup milk, 2/3 cup sugar, and next 4 ingredients (2/3 cup sugar through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat. Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Add chopped chocolate; cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared crust; cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours or until cold. Remove plastic wrap; spread whipped topping evenly over filling. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

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Yummy (Low-Fat) Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Again – you will never know these are low-fat. They are decadent! These are great to take to parties.

Ingredients

2tablespoonsskim milk
27small soft caramel candies (about 8 ounces)
1/2cupfat-free sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated skim milk)
1(18.25-ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding (such as Pillsbury) – must have pudding in the mix
7tablespoonsreduced-calorie stick margarine, melted
1large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1teaspoonall-purpose flour
1/2cupsemi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine skim milk and candies in a bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until caramels melt and mixture is smooth, stirring with a whisk after every minute. Set aside.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, cake mix, margarine, and egg white in a bowl; stir well (batter will be very stiff). Coat bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray; dust lightly with flour. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands ; pat evenly (layer will be thin).

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips. Drizzle caramel mixture over chips; carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over caramel mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 brownie)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 122(30% from fat); FAT 4g (sat 1.6g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 1.6g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 34mg; SODIUM 224mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 0.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20.4g

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Bizcochitos

*New Mexico's State Cookies*

Traditional recipes call for 1 pound lard, however you may substitute vegetable shortening.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons aniseed

6 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed well.

Mix the vegetable shortening or lard and the sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and the aniseed and cream some more. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and mix with the first mixture. Add enough water to hold the dough together. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured board and cut into Christmas shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake in a 375-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

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Broccoli Corn Bread(servedon Christmas Eve)

4 large eggs

1 onion, chopped

1 cup cottage cheese

10 oz. chopped broccoli (1 box, thawed and drained)

1/2 cup vegetable or Canola oil

2 packages Jiffy cornbread mix

Mix together and place in rectangular baking dish/pan. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or when set in center.

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Cinnamon Caramel Pull-Apart Bread (served on Christmas morning)

1 cup brown sugar (packed) plus 2tablespoons

1 cup pecans, chopped

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ c. butter (real), melted

3 cans Honey Butter Tasting Flaky cannedbiscuits, cut in halves

Combine brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and butter. Thoroughly grease bundt pan.

Place 1/2 of sugar mixture in bottom of pan. Layer 1/2 of the cut biscuits on top of the mixture.

Spoon rest of sugar mixture over biscuits and top with remaining biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned.

You may want to cover the pan with foil during last half of the baking time to prevent the biscuits from over browning.

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Denver Casserole(served on Christmas morning)

1 dozen eggs, beaten

1 pound bacon, cooked & crumbled

1 onion, finely chopped

1 small can green chilies, chopped

1 small can ripe olives, chopped

1 small jar pimientos, chopped

1 pound MontereyJack cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Pour into greased 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes OR until center is set (cook longer if necessary).

Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

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